Twilight Thorn
by emeraldwolf
Summary: The sequel to my fic, Darkside. This follows Riku's side of the story from the end of CoM through the end of KH2. Spoilers, yaoi, language, dark themes.
1. One step ahead

This fic is the sequel to Darkside in that it will be written in a similar style and share some elements of the first fic. This story follows Riku from the end of CoM through KH2, telling about what happens in between the times we see Riku in the game interacting with Sora.

This fic will have HUGE spoilers for KH2 and CoM. Please don't be upset if you haven't played the games and read something you didn't want to know.

Yaoi, some cursing, dark stuff going on. You are warned.

And a little side note, when I wrote the first fic I couldn't find the name of Riku's sword so I referred to it as the dragon blade, but in this fic I will call it the soul eater.

/People thinking to themselves./

--A secondary person in someone's head talking to them, like Ansem (Xehanort's heartless).--

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Riku was amazed at how at peace he felt here in this room of white. Despite the blinding glare of the floors and the walls andeverything in the room, he felt comforted.

/Perhaps I really have been in the dark too long./

In front of where he sat was a cocoon with feathery petals curling around it. Inside he knew that Sora was sleeping, slowly regaining the memories he had abandoned to discover what lay at the end of Castle Oblivion.

/It happened again./

When he heard footsteps approaching, Riku straightened his shoulders and turned to see the King. He too looked exhausted. Castle Oblivion wasn't something that was easy to overcome.

"Riku? Are you okay? You haven't moved since we got here."

Ever since being trapped behind the door together, Riku had found solace in Mickey's company. They surely made an odd pair, the high voiced little mouse and the tall, dark keyblade master.

"Just letting it all sink in..."

He trailed off, once again looking at the enormous cocoon that held the one person he'd been searching for months. The person he'd loved, betrayed, and loved again all in such a short time. And now, he arrives just hours too late to see him again. Even if, as Namine had said, Sora wouldn't remember him, just seeing his best friend after all this time would have done wonders for him.

"We found him Riku. And now we know where he is. We can keep coming back to visit him until he wakes up."

Riku ran his hand through his hair, letting it get caught in the knots that had formed during his battle against Ansem. Though he knew that the man was still inside him somewhere. After everything that had happened, he had come to accept it.

As much as anyone accepts a being of pure evil residing in one's subconscious.

"I was so close, Mickey. The whole time we were just steps behind him. I just--I just wish I could have apologized to him again."

Mickey patted Riku on the shoulder, his oversized gloved hands making a soft thwumping sound against the other's shirt. He then sat himself down next to his comrade, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the white room. The girl herself was gone, following Diz to wherever it was the two were bound for. Though neither had confirmed it with the other, both keyblade masters felt it in their gut that the witch and the powerful man in red weren't far away.

"Namine told me a few things about the Organization before she left."

Riku sighed as he realized that their small repreive was over. They had found Sora and Donald and Goofy. They were safe now. But new enemies were causing trouble, and had to be stopped.

"They call themselves Organization XIII. Which means there are eight left out there somewhere. She said they are something called a Nobody, the shell of someone who was strong enough to maintain their personality after being turned into a heartless."

"So, what do we do? I don't even know where we are..."

Riku and the King both looked around the room, like it would somehow explain itself. With the illusion of Castle Oblivion gone, they had no clue what world they were in. Or if their gummi ship had ended up anywhere near them. The thought of being stranded on an alien planet hit the two and both sighed.

"Well, guess we better find out where we are first, huh?"

The ability to instantly perk up despite the situation had always been something that Riku could admire. Sora had it. Shadow and King Mickey too. Feeling like he was somehow blaspheming the boy in the cocoon, Riku tried to not think about Shadow and instead picked his head up and walked out of the room. Mickey was close behind him, ready for anything.

Everything shifted abruptly around them from a sterile white to a dark metallic corridor with pipes crisscrossing in tracks on the ceiling. As they passed it Mickey pointed out the computer terminal that Diz and Namine has been busy with before they left. Sora's vitals were being recorded on the screen, and Riku's eyes lingered on the outline of the keyblade master, hoping he was doing the right thing by leaving him in the care of two strangers.

Despite the broken furniture and the dust that was gathered in the corners, Riku found himself enjoying the scenery. This crusty old mansion was still somehow comforting. The building had survived being gutted and invaded by the Organization, but still held itself up. He glanced over and smirked at the fact that Mickey seemed to be gazing in awe around at the paintings and sculptures of the old mansion as well.

"Hm. This doesn't look good..." Mickey said as they left the mansion and saw the sunset streaked sky above, and a dark forest at the end of the yard.

"I don't know, seems like a nice enough place to me."

The mouse just shook his head, causing the zippers on his outfit to clink together.

"I can't remember how we got here. Namine used her powers to create an illusion, and brought us here. I have no idea where the gummi ship is. If its even on this world."

Despite how much he enjoyed the scenery here, the thought of being trapped anywhere made Riku's stomach clench up. Too many memories of living on an island, being smothered.

/Maybe that's why I couldn't give up the darkness. Too much freedom./

They walked in silence through the shadowy forest and into the sparsely populated town square. There were bright lights advertising shops, and a small tram ferrying people across the town. Riku wondered if this city had any connection to Traverse Town.

/Maybe they had the same guy designing them./

"Riku. I think maybe we should keep ourselves hidden. It wouldn't be good to draw too much attention to ourselves."

They saw an entrance to a system of tunnels that ran under the length of the cities and pried open the gate, sneaking in. It wasn't hard, considering the fact that there didn't seem to be too many people in this town anyway. As they stood by one of the posters that held a map of the underground tunnels, Mickey suggested they head for the train system. Riku just quirked an eyebrow at the small king.

"Just trust me on this one. There are more ways to travel between worlds than gummi ships and portals."

"Well I figured. But a train? Are you sure?"

Mickey just smiled and shrugged.

"Not really. I'm just going on a hunch." And with that he continued up on the tunnels, heading for the train station.

/I guess hope springs eternal./

"I could just use some darkness, transport us to a world we know has connections and ships."

There was no answer from the tunnel ahead so Riku just let the subject drop. Mickey was a lot more sensitive about him using any dark powers. He may seem kind and optomistic, but Riku got the feeling that it took a lot to gain the king's trust.

When they exited the tunnel back into the open air Riku expected to be able to see stars overhead. But it was the same yellowy orange sky. As if the sun was still setting.

"How long does it take the sun to go down here?"

Mickey hadn't even been paying attention to the sky, instead heading straight for the train station. With a little huff at being ignored, Riku diligently followed. It was almost as if Mickey had forgotten him, completely focused on where he was going. Sure enough within the cool air conditioning of the building he found the mouse standing beside a set of tracks, looking expectantly down the tracks.

"I was right. This set of tracks leads to Yensid's tower. I'm sure of it. He can supply us with everything we need."

"Yensid?"

Riku found a bench that looked pretty comfortable and sprawled on it. Like the rest of this quiet town, the station was deserted except for an old janitor emptying out trash cans that seemed to be entirely filled with popsicle sticks. Of all things Riku suddenly felt a huge craving for a popsicle.

"Hey, Mickey! I'm gonna go grab some ice cream, you want one?"

The king just sighed and walked over, climbing onto the bench beside Riku.

"Sure. I'm not actually sure when the train might get here. It might be soon though, so hurry."

Not wanting to be stranded in this world any longer than he had to be, Riku jogged out of the station and headed into the town, quickly spotting a group of kids with blue popsicles.

He ran up to them, and the three turned to him and smiled. The girl stepped up to him and seemed to examine him very closely.

"I've never seen you in Twilight Town before, are you new?"

Riku just nodded and pointed to the popsicle in her hand.

"Sorry, I was just wondering where I could get an ice cream."

A boy with slicked back blond hair pointed down the pathway. He gave Riku instructions as to where the ice cream vendor usually parked his cart and with a quick thank you he took off down the alleyway. The ice cream seller was right where the boy had said he would be, and Riku used some of the munny he had stashed in his pockets to get two of the sea-salt ice cream popsicles. As he ran back up the pathway he waved at the group of kids lounging with their ice cream.

"Riku! The train is here!"

He sped up and nearly fell as he turned into the train station and ran up the stairs. Mickey was standing by the same set of tracks, but now an odd blue train with yellow stars dotted on it was sitting next to him. He motioned quickly to the train and hopped on. As Riku stepped through the doors they began to close and he had to squeeze his way inside.

"I hope this ice cream is worth it..." he said, handing Mickey's to him, then opened his own and took a tentative lick. It was salty and sweet, which he should have guessed by the name. But it was incredibly good.

/Guess that explains the popsicles in the trash can./

So engrossed by his ice cream, Riku hadn't even noticed where the train was carrying them to until he looked out the window and saw that they were traveling along tracks in the air, heading towards a single floating island in the distance with a tower perched on top.

"I prefer portals I think," he mumbled as he looked down into the emptiness beneath the train tracks.

"I hope Yensid is there. I think you'd like him."

Again feeling distinctly ignored Riku nodded, even though Mickey never turned to look at him. He was so excited to get to this Yensid's place that he was practically bouncing up and down in his seat. Feeling tired just watching him, Riku yawned and slumped back on the plushy seat, intent on taking a little power nap before they reached the tower.

Behind his closed eyes he saw the man in red, the girl named Namine who had altered his memories, and played both him and Sora against each other. Sora alone led his mind to the cocoon where his fellow keyblade master sat and waited to be made whole again, and these thoughts took him to where he didn't want to go. A boy with bright yellow eyes and hair black as pitch. Whatever it was inside of him that Shadow had managed to latch onto still ached when he thought about him.

But Shadow was just the darkness within Sora seperated into a new body. So logically Riku should have no problem simply loving Sora instead. They were one in the same.

/If I had my choice, which of them would I want/

"Riku, we're here."

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Okay, sorry if these first few chapters are going to be a little slow. I need to get the characters to where they need to be. But don't worry, just like Darkside I'll be skipping forward in time between most of the chapters. And if you see spelling or grammar mistakes, i'm writing this without Word or any form of spellcheck until my beta returns. It shouldn't be long...but feel free to point out a mistake and I shall fix it.

I hope you guys enjoy and will review and come back and read more. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, put this story on your alert list. If you don't have an FFN account then I can email you, though there's a good chance I'll forget.

Later readers!


	2. Chimes

"So, do you have any plans on how we're going to go about doing this?"

Mickey looked up from the pilot's seat and seemed utterly confused by Riku's question. He just sighed and tried rephrasing.

"We're about to land in the world where the Organization has their headquarters. I know that we need to stop them, but we don't even know what they're doing. And I don't know if the two of us can take out eight of them."

The king nodded and seemed to ponder over the question. Then, with his usual finesse, he shrugged. Riku just rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Well, no matter what happens, we'll need information. So I guess we'll have to do some recon. Which is why Yensid gave us these awesome new cloaks."

He had to admit, the cloaks were pretty cool. And exactly like the Organization. But whether or not they could remain undetected in the Organization's world was still to be seen. And if Yensid had been as great a magician as Mickey claimed, then why couldn't he give them better disguises? Or some sort of magic spells or something.

"We're here..."

Riku noticed the hesitance in Mickey's voice as he carefully piloted the gummi ship onto the strange world. He maneuvered it carefully into a dark alleyway and drew his cloak up around his head before hopping out. Riku couldn't hold back a chuckle at the king's pathetic attempts to hide himself. After all, the ears were a bit of a give away.

But following his lead, Riku pulled his own hood up and leapt out of the gummi ship.

"Can you hide it?" Mickey pointed to the rather obviously out of place ship. Its brightly colored blocks practically emitted their own light compared to the blackness and shadows of the town, having only faint neon lights to chase away the darkness.

Extending his hand to the ground, Riku managed to pull up a dark barrier, closing off the end of the alleyway and hiding their ship from any passers by. After he had finished, he stood carefully against one of the walls of the alley, barely letting his hooded face peer out. Mickey did the same across from him, and they both jumped and pulled back when they heard someone softly clearing their throat.

Riku spun around and the soul eater was in his hand and outstretched before he found his footing. But standing in front of the barrier he had just created was the man in red, Diz.

"Jeez, trying to give me a heart attack?" He hissed at the man, but held onto the soul eater, just in case anyone else had noticed their arrival. He could swear he saw Diz smirk.

"I've come to give you a bit of important information."

Mickey approached and Riku noticed for the first time that his golden keyblade was drawn as well. Despite their time traveling together, Riku had rarely seen Mickey fight. But he knew that the mouse was immensely powerful, just reluctant to use his skills in battle.

"It must be important for you to come all the way out here. And how exactly did you manage that?"

Riku already knew the answer. He could smell the remains of darkness on Diz. He had used, or had someone else create, a dark portal for him to travel here.

/Of course, I could have done the same thing. If...if I wasn't so afraid./

--What is there to be afraid of?--

With a gasp Riku shut his eyes and clapped his hands over his ears, falling with his back against the hard alley wall. He could hear Mickey's worried calls, but couldn't answer. Couldn't speak. Just in case.

/You're not there. You're not real. You're gone. I won't let you take over again./

When there was no answer, Riku opened his eyes and saw the terror on Mickey's face.

/He thought I was going to give in again./

With another polite cough, Diz began to speak.

"As I was saying. Namine has said that it will take longer than anticipated to revive Sora with all his memories. It could take a few years--"

"What!"

Mickey looked slightly embarrassed at Riku's outburst, but he figured that he was well within his rights to be surprised. He needed Sora. The worlds needed him. He was the true keyblade master now, and couldn't afford to sleep for a few years while the Organization took over.

"There is a way that we can help accelerate Sora's recovery."

"How?"

Diz looked slightly miffed at Riku's obvious disrespect but cleared his throat again and continued on. Riku had to wonder if that was a nervous tick or something.

"When Sora became a heartless, despite how brief a time it may have been, a Nobody was created from the experience. I trust you know the basics of what a Nobody is?"

Mickey nodded and Riku did so hesitantly. He had been told the basics, but was still a bit fuzzy on the finer points.

"As you know, Sora's heart is one of the strongest we're come across. Naturally, considering he is a keyblade master. And so in turn his Nobody is equally strong, and dangerous. He was made the thirteenth member of the Organization. The final one, and quite possibly the strongest."

"So what are you suggesting Diz? If we destroy his Nobody will Sora be able to return faster?"

Mickey sounded slightly ill at the thought. He knew that fighting had to be done, but if this Nobody was really a part of Sora, it would difficult to kill him.

"Heavens no. You have to capture him alive, and bring him to the mansion in Twilight Town. Namine will be able to fuse the Nobody with Sora, speeding up the process of recreating his memories."

Riku noticed that Mickey was relieved at not having to kill anyone, while he himself was even more worried. He knew from experience that the Organization members were not to be taken lightly. How where he and Mickey supposed to get this newest member away from all his superiors, and transport him alive back to Twilight Town.

/Oh yeah. This is gonna be fun./

Riku heard shuffling from outside the alleyway and flattened himself against the wall where he was leaning. Mickey did the same and Diz merely stepped into a nearby shadow. Judging by the faint scent on the air, Riku figured he was using just enough darkness to conceal his presence. Outside the alley, a man with long blue hair and a scar across his face was walking along and scolding two other Organization members. Riku recognized one as the red head, Axel. The other he had never seen before, but had a mohawk and for a second his childish face reminded him of Sora.

/Maybe that's the Nobody we need to capture./

He glanced to Diz, but the man shook his head, indicating that none of them were Sora's Nobody.

When they were out of earshot, Diz explained that the Nobody they would be looking for was named Roxas, and would look somewhat like Sora. Also, that he would be the same age, and would most likely not be allowed out of the castle.

The mention of a castle intrigued Riku, and he leaned farther out of the alleyway to look at the enormous white structure that was partially hidden behind the dark skyscrapers of The World That Never Was. Storming a castle and escaping with a live prisoner was definitely not something Riku wanted on his to-do list.

"Is it possible that we could draw him out? Attack him while he's in the city?"

Diz nodded. But before he could say more, he seemed to be distracted by something.

"Pardon me gentlemen. I'm needed elsewhere. Its too dangerous to stay here, so I suggest you try finding shelter in the neighboring worlds until you're ready to capture the boy. And from now on I will contact you with a hologram, for I'm needed at the mansion to assist Namine."

Riku nodded and the man sunk through a portal of pitch black, and with a small sniff at the offending odor, he could no longer see any evidence that the man had been with them in the alleyway at all. Mickey had released the keyblade long ago, but only now with the mysterious man gone did Riku drop his guard and his weapon as well.

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us, huh?"

As always, the king could put an optimistic spin on any situation. Riku just smiled to him and adjusted his hood further down, before walking completely out of the alley.

"Wait! Riku, where are you going?"

Mickey ran after him, and almost into him when the boy stopped in the middle of the street. He was just standing there, staring at the castle sitting far in the distance.

/Part of Sora is there. I won't let them keep it. I will bring him back./

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Okay, gonna try something with this fic that I had always wanted to do with Darkside. Whenever I post a chapter, I will also draw a picture of a scene from that chapter. So as of now there is a picture posted on my fanart-central account (the homepage on my profile here on FFN) called 'Chapter 1' and its a picture from chapter 1 of Twilight Thorn. When I post chapter 3 of the fic, the picture for chapter 2 will be up.

Got it memorized? Hope you like, and please leave me reviews of what you think of it so far.


	3. Distortion

Riku took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of old books and dust that permeated the mansion's library. It smelled real. Not like the empty smell of The World That Never Was.

He called out for Mickey and heard the mouse respond from somewhere outside. He quickly found a window and stuck his head outside to see Mickey standing on one of the broken columns in the front yard. He was shaking like a leaf and had the keyblade out. Immediately Riku threw the window all the way open and leapt out, knowing that he could take a fall from this height.

As he rolled to a stop he called the soul eater to his hand and jumped up, looking around for whatever threat had found their current base. But there was no smell of darkness, no flashes of silvery white nobodies or shifting shadows. Nothing.

"Help Riku! Get rid of him!" Mickey cried out, holding onto the column with a death grip, the keyblade clenched equally as hard in his other hand. His wide eyes were pointed straight down at the bottom of his column.

"Nyao."

Riku was a bit startled by the sound, but was less bothered as he found the source of it; a large tabby cat sitting in the flowers. Granted, it looked a bit angry, with its ears flattened against its head, and the way it stared up at Mickey.

/Right. Cat. Mouse. Got it./

Had he been the Riku who used to sit on Destiny Island and insist on only believing what he saw with his two eyes, he would have laughed. Or cried. Some sort of reaction. But by now, he accepted that some things should just be taken at face value.

"Shoo. Get out of here stupid cat," Riku shouted, waving his arms out at the cat. It predictably hunkered down, but as Riku got closer it changed its mind and ran off into the forest. He couldn't hold back the sneer that he aimed at the king.

"I don't even want to hear it," Mickey mumbled as he leapt to the ground, the keyblade and soul eater both disappearing again.

To his credit, Riku managed to not laugh out loud. He was good like that.

"So how are the worlds that you've been checking up on?" Having decided that he didn't feel like going inside so soon Riku unzipped his coat and laid down on it. It was warm, still being summer in Twilight Town, and the air was dead still today.

Mickey sat beside him and explained all about the worlds he had found with heartless and Nobodies taking over. It wasn't the greatest news, especially since some worlds Sora had supposedly locked the keyholes in. And now their enemies had discovered a new way to infect worlds.

"And how about you Riku?"

He picked up instantly on the unhappy tone of voice that Mickey used sometimes. It held an echo of his father's voice.

"I tailed a few of the Organization members. One of the highest ranked has taken up residence in Beast's castle. I think there will be trouble there soon. But I still haven't gotten any information on their leader, even a name."

Mickey sighed loudly, obviously meant to draw Riku's attention.

"You should have waited till I came back with the gummi ship. You know what you're risking when you use that much darkness? A little is fine, but you should be more careful."

Riku felt a tingle run up his spine and neck. His cheeks were probably growing red, but he ignored it. There was no point in arguing over this with Mickey. They would just go around and around the subject as they always did.

/I know best what I'm risking./

--It doesn't seem to be bothering you.--

He wouldn't respond. Wouldn't let the voice in his head bait him into doing something stupid.

"I'm sorry Mickey. I'll try and be more patient. But I've seen Roxas."

At this the king's huge ears perked up and he turned to face Riku, ready to hear any new discoveries.

"He really does look a lot like Sora. But they're letting him out of the castle now. Usually with at least one other Organization member. And they've taken him into the other worlds."

Mickey nodded. He opened his mouth as if to ask something, then seemed to decide against it. Then he took a deep breath and looked away from Riku's eyes.

"You know we don't have to hunt him down. Why not try talkin to him? Maybe you can convince him to come with us voluntarily?"

"Oh yeah. 'Hey kid, we want you to give up your life to save our friend who we obviously like better than you, kay thanks?'."

The mouse wilted at this. It wasn't that Riku was being harsh. He was just being truthful.

"I could give it a shot though. Lie to him. Somehow convince him to come with me, maybe bring him back here and together we can take care of him," Riku said with a shrug. Mickey seemed to agree to this and suggested they take the gummi ship to the Organization's world on the next day and hope to catch the boy. Together they went into the mansion and relaxed in the rooms that they had each taken a liking to. Mickey in the library, and Riku in Namine's old room, peppered with sketches.

Without spending more than a minute looking at the disarmingly cute prophetic drawings, Riku raised his hand to the wall and forced dark energy into it, creating a doorway.

--Betraying his trust. Are you sure you can risk that with your last true ally?--

/Yes. Shut up. Get out of my head./

--You need me Riku. Far more than you've ever needed anyone.--

In order to block out the voices Riku pushed himself into the portal, feeling the sensation of the air being pulled from his lungs, and cold whisps likefingertips grazing against his skin. It was always like this. Like drowning. But worse.

With a slight gasp he fell out of the other end of the portal and collapsed against a black brick wall. He was in The World That Never Was. In the alleyway where he and Mickey had met with Diz.

--You know traveling through the dark wouldn't be so uncomfortable if you let me help you. Just a little power can't possibly overcome a keyblade master. Trust me Riku.--

"Get out!"

His voice echoed in the neon soaked world and he involuntarily cringed at the sound. Before he hadleft the alley he could sense the heartless crawling out of their holes. Their scent stuck out even more to him in the blankness of this false world. But he really didn't have time to deal with these small fry.

Running out of the alley and toward the castle, Riku felt their sharp claws catching on his coat. A neoshadow slashed its way out of the darkness and he had to roll to the side to avoid being gutted. The soul eater was in his hand and cutting into the creature before it touched the ground. More crawled up around him, not even emerging fully from the ground before sinking their claws into him, but not hard enough to break skin.

--They want you alive. So they can feed on your heart and savor every last drop.--

He pulled out of their grip and swung his sword through antennae and heads and arms, not caring where he hit so long as he could feel his blade in their flesh.

There seemed to be a never ending amount of them, and so Riku made sure the battle led him closer and closer to the castle. As he sprinted across the courtyard in front of the Memory's Skyscraper he saw a glint of light from somewhere.

/Well. Guess my luck isn't that bad./

The boy named Roxas came out of the pathway that led to the castle with a keyblade in each hand. Riku was a bit surprised to say the least, but couldn't afford the time to wonder about the duel wielder right now. The blond was cutting through the swathes of heartless, a bored expression seeming out of place on his body as he spun and attacked as if his life were at stake.

Riku took care of his share of heartless, backing himself up until he was nearly touching the other boy, as the swarms ebbed back into the shadows at the threat of two keyblade masters together.

"Why were they attacking you?" Roxas turned and seemed to trail off as he finally got a look under Riku's hood. "Who are you?"

/I'll have to apologize to Mickey for making fun of Yensid's disguises./

With no reason to keep it up, Riku pulled his hood down. There was a flash of something in the younger boy's blue eyes and it made Riku uncomfortable.

"You're not with the Organization. And if the heartless were after you then you must not be a Nobody," As he spoke he raised one of the keyblades to Riku's throat, not looking as threatening as he might hope. Riku just couldn't feel any fear at this boy. He was so much like Sora. It felt almost as if he hadn't seen Sora in a long time, and had just forgotten some of the details. But this boy didn't recognize him, and Sora would never do that.

--You tell yourself bold faced lies. The keyblade master has forgotten you and you him. Hmph. So deluded.--

"My name is Riku," he wondered if this Nobody remembered anything from being Sora. "Do I look familiar at all?"

Feeling like he would make the young Nobody more at ease, he released the soul eater and saw Roxas do the same with his weapons.

"I'm Roxas..." He faltered again, his eyes flicking from Riku's face to his coat. Then he just shook his head from side to side.

"You're right though. I'm not a Nobody. But I came here to talk to you--"

Roxas suddenly stepped forward, bridging the space between them and surprising Riku enough that he took a step back.

"No. Wait. You, you do look familiar. Why?"

Standing his ground he let the other approach as close as he wanted. Roxas seemed to be getting more and more frustrated as he glared at Riku. The older boy felt a blush coming on and tried to ignore it.

/Why does he have to look so much like Sora/

"You said you came here to talk to me. Then you know me."

Riku nodded and if anything the boy seemed more upset by this.

"But I don't know you. At least not that I can remember. But you're so damn familiar."

"Listen, if you want to, I can take you away from this place. I'll explain everything once we're somewhere safer."

Roxas just cocked his head to the side in confusion and it almost physically hurt Riku to see the similarities. Not to Sora. But to Shadow. This boy was sharper than Sora, quicker to figure things out. And far less trusting.

"This is the world of the Nobodies. We're safe here." His uncomfortable shifting didn't go unnoticed by Riku.

"You may be. But I have a heart, and the heartless here seem a little more than interested in me," He said, reaching a hand out to Roxas in a distortedmockery of a motion he once did to Sora.

But the Nobody was too smart. He wouldn't be trusting Riku this quickly.

"I can tell you about who you were."

This caught the boy's attention immediately.

"You know something about me before I was a Nobody? Tell me!"

Riku backed up, letting his hand fall. If he couldn't get Roxas to come with him voluntarily, perhaps he could get the boy to chase him instead.

"Tell me now!"

Roxas was clenching his fists at his sides, and was sneering angrily. With that expression on his face, he looked nothing like either Sora or Shadow. Neither of them had ever had that much hate so clearly exposed.

"I will. But not here. After all, if the other Organization members won't tell you about your past, I imagine they won't be pleased if I do it."

As he was about to form a portal and suck both of them out of this world, Roxas grabbed him by the front of his coat and pulled him closer. His beads clinked lightly, and seemed toecho the rain that was beginning to fall.

Roxas's face suddenly lost all its anger, and his eyes were focused on Riku's mouth.

/He can't be thinking that. I'm just being narcissistic./

--He is part of Sora. Perhaps you're not exaggerating anything. You took your pleasures with Shadow, why not try with Roxas as well?--

/Shut up/

But the blond did nothing, frozen staring at the lips that were almost aligned with his eyes. Riku felt his breath on the hollow of his throat, right above his zipper. The boy was close. Very close. The hands holding his coat seemed to loosen up, but remained pressed against his chest.

/I have to say something. Push him away./

His eyes were bright and so large in the dark city. They seemed to numb Riku's mind and body. Even when their lids slowly lowered and drew closer to him. Even when the breath traveled from his neck to his lips.

But even those eyes couldn't keep him from turning his head, letting the boy's lips brush his jaw. Apparently this was enough to break the spell and Roxas pushed him away, his eyes filled with confusion and shame. Not to mention anger. Of course it seemed that his eyes were never without that fiery rage.

"Why? Why do you make me feel like this?" Again, the boy proved to be quite intelligent. And a loose cannon.

Riku barely managed to block the strike of the first keyblade, the second swinging towards his unprotected flank. It hit and he let himself he thrown with the force, rolling quickly to his knees and throwing a dark energy attack at Roxas. He crossed his blades and managed to deflect it before rushing at him again.

Despite the pain on his right side he stood up and blocked all the next set of attacks that Roxas threw at him. But he knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. And in the state he was currently in, he wasn't even sure if he could manage to subdue Roxas enough to take him to the mansion.

The fist to his jaw came as quite a surprise.

As he felt blood start rising up out of his gums he turned to his side and spit it out on the ground. The rain was still coming down lightly, not enough to wash away the red smear he was creating.

"Don't move."

Riku looked up along the two shining keyblades that were leveled at him. His soul eater was gone, knocked away by the force of Roxas's blow.

But worse than the blades was the look on Roxas's face. He'd seen the same expression on Sora at Hollow Bastion. Even Sora's Nobody was powerful enough to defeat him. But why?

/I'm a keyblade master too. Its not like I'm out of my league here./

--But you don't use your keyblade. You're not strong enough to wield the dark keyblade. Only using my powers will you ever be capable. Let me in.--

Slowly Riku raised his hands from where he sat on the asphalt, showing that he was giving up, and was acknowledging his defeat. Roxas kept his blades crossed at Riku's throat. Hoping that the rain and shadows of this world would mask his intentions long enough, Riku slowly let darkness pool around him and begin to suck both he and Roxas into the portal below.

Before their shoes had even sunk all the way in, and right as Roxas realized what was happening, Riku heard a strange whistling sound. As he turned something struck him in the side of the head and he was knocked out instantly, the portal disappearing without having fully formed.

"Roxas! Are you okay?" Axel ran up and retrieved his chakram from next to the unconscious Riku.

The blond just nodded, annoyed as usual by Axel's habit of following him around and keeping tabs on him.

"Who is this guy?" The redhead bent down and looked at the boy's bloodied face. He looked familiar.

"He said his name is Riku," Axel's eyes widened as if he had realized something but Roxas ignored it. "We're taking him back to the castle with us."

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Alright, I'll admit it. I have a bit of a Riku/Roxas habit. I only know of a few others that wholly support that pairing. No worries though, this story will, just like Darkside, be all and all a Sora/Riku fic. But just like Darkside (and real life in my opinion) not everyone spends their whole lives with the person they are meant to be with. So no complaints about alternate pairings that might briefly occur in this fic. Go look at my homepage. Lots of new art posted over at fanartcentral. Later readers!

Please be kind, rewind--er, review.


	4. The Rock

Riku began coming to in small flashes of consciousness. A white wall. A man in a black cloak dragging his body down a hallway. So when he finally woke up fully, he was completely awake and aware as soon as his eyes were open.

Without wasting a moment he poured dark power into the floor beneath his bound wrists and focused on the mansion back in Twilight Town. Unfortunately for him, the business end of a spear landed inches from where his face lay on the floor. He squirmed away and looked up to see a harsh faced older man with long black hair pulled back into a pony tail. Riku also took in the fact that there were more spears in the floor within an arm's reach of the tall man.

"Wherever you're planning to go, I'll be following you. So maybe you should reconsider," he said, with a deep voice fitting for a man of his build.

Riku let the portal disappear and looked around the purple tinted room he was in. The area was obviously a prison with the bars that sealed off one wall, and the high ceiling and lack of windows. Small triangles in the floor emitted a dim purple glow, but the white glare from the hallway beyond the bars provided most of the light. Riku himself was laying against the far wall with his ankles and wrists bound in chains. He looked down at his ankles and noticed that they were black and thorny, made from darkness and holding him just tight enough to keep him from wriggling himself free.

"Where am I?" He called out as he tried to right himself so he could lean against the wall.

"You are in the World that Never Was." After saying this the man sat down and crossed his legs, leaning against the side wall and keeping his eyes fixed on Riku. His spears were planted in the ground around him like his own prison bars.

"I knew that already," Riku said pouting. He had managed to sit himself up and felt the sore spots in his joints where he had been bent awkwardly while sleeping.

He expected the older man to say something else, introduce himself or make a threat of some kind. But he did nothing. Riku just ignored him for the time being and focused on the chains around his wrists. They were made by a very strong wielder of the dark, but he figured he could still get out.

--All you need is say the word Riku. I'll get you out of this mess you've gotten us into--

/There is no us. This is my body. I am in a mess. You are an annoying disembodied voice that is squatting in my head./

--Calm down, keyblade master. I'm just suggesting you let me use my powers to free us from the castle. You know you'd be able to stop me even if I did try anything suspicious.--

/I don't need your help./

Riku pretended to be looking around the jail, taking in the designs on the floor and trying to see out the bars into the rest of the castle. All the while he manipulated the chains around his ankles and wrists until he managed to widen them enough to slip them off.

Before he could stand all the way up a spear point was pressed against his chest, and two others landed in the wall between his ribs and arms on each side. They wobbled slightly and Riku found himself face to face with the angry looking Nobody again.

"Escape is not possible. It would be a shame to loose a keyblade master, but if we need to we will kill you to keep you from leaving. And if you try and leave using a portal, we'll simply follow you and find your accomplices. So give it up."

He withdrew the spear leveled at Riku's heart and seemed to remove the other two with a wave of his hand. Riku couldn't help but think of Sora. Frozen, helpless, and hidden in the mansion. If he couldn't lose this guy in the pathways between worlds, he'd be handing Sora over on a silver platter.

"Fine. I'll play nice. But no more chaining me up," he said, trying his best to look imposing despite between almost half the man's size.

For the first time the Nobody smiled, which seemed to make him look even angrier than before.

"You're in no position to be making requests, boy." He turned around, walking back to the wall that he seemed to have an affinity for.

Riku summoned the soul eater and took a swing at the man before being smacked down by one of his spears. It had flown out of the ground and slammed into his side, knocking him across the cell.

"That won't work either."

Riku was starting to get very frustrated with this man. This time they squared off, no sneak attacks or hastily designed escape plans. Just Riku and his soul eater against a man three heads taller than him armed with six spears. But he wouldn't back down so easily.

His first attack was a sprint forward, and before swinging his sword to block the first of the man's spears he flung a ball of dark energy at his face. The darkness dissipated before it reached him and with a smirk he knocked the weapon straight out of Riku's hand.

Before he could summon it back he felt his feet pulled off the ground as the man picked him up by his coat. With one hand he pulled back as if he was going to punch his lights out, but his eyes flicked down to Riku's chest and he hesitated.

Riku didn't like being held up like a little child and was struggling and grappling with the man's thick forearms, but to no avail.

"What is that symbol?" He said as he placed Riku back on his feet and began pulling down the zipper on Riku's trench coat. This just made the boy struggle even more though.

"Stop it! Get your fucking hands off of me!"

In his mind the man's hair flashed white and his eyes glowed a soft orange.

--Good to know you still think about me, Riku.--

"If I was going to hurt you, Riku, I would have done it while you were knocked out."

The man finished pulling Riku's coat off of him, and stared down at the symbol on Riku's chest. The silver haired boy had calmed a bit at what the older man had said. Almost as if he was insulted at how Riku reacted.

Looking down Riku realized that he had reverted into the dark outfit he had worn when Ansem first possessed him. The red and black sinews were again stretched over his legs and arms, and the black empty heart with the red outline sitting proudly on his chest.

"Its nothing," As he said this Riku seemed to notice that the man had released him and he backed up, putting some space between them. With a little concentration Riku's regular yellow shirt and blue pants returned. The man just quirked an eyebrow at him.

"You know my name," Riku realized that the man hadn't tried to attack him or restrain him, and so leaned against the wall he was near, his use of his powers having sapped his strength. "Don't you think it would be polite to introduce yourself?"

"My name is Xaldin. I know your name because you took out a small portion of our Organization in Castle Oblivion. Axel reported back to us all about you. Which is why you aren't dead right now."

/Right. Well. That makes sense./

Riku took a deep breath and realized that he could now smell something new and dark approaching outside the cell. It smelled different from this man in front of him, a more corrupted form of the same darkness. But he knew that no one good could have this much darkness hanging about them.

"Xaldin. You're supposed to be guarding the prisoner. Not conversing with him," said the newest arrival, dressed in the same garb as all the others. He had blue hair swept back over his head, and a large scar across his face. Riku had only seen one other person with a scar that bad, and he had been a friend of Sora's in Traverse Town.

"As you can see, he has been trying to escape. I didn't allow him to. That's all that was required of me," Xaldin snarled at the other man as he passed by. And so just as quickly as the new one had arrived, Riku's former jailer left.

After smelling how much darkness was coming off of the man who had apparently taken up his post as warden, Riku knew he wouldn't be escaping any time soon.

"My apologies for my friend," he said, his smile not giving any warmth to his gold eyes. "Xaldin can be quite taciturn when he's in a foul mood. My name is Saix."

To the young prisoner's surprise, Saix extended his hand to him. Riku just looked at the black glove and back at the man's face. It felt fake to him. It showed emotions, but Riku couldn't feel any of those emotions. It was like an animated puppet.

"I'd introduce myself, but you guys all seem to know me already."

Saix just smiled at Riku's childish tone and folded his arms casually over his chest. Just as Xaldin before him, he let his eyes linger on Riku's chest.

/This is getting old fast./

--You can't blame them boy. Your heart is just glowing in this empty world. If I were them I would have gently slipped my hand in--

/Shut up/

--and pulled it out, fresh and hot and powerful.--

"Listen Riku, I'm going to be honest with you. We're keeping you in this cell because we want to offer you a position here in the Organization."

Ignoring the voice in his head, Riku tried to pay attention to what Saix was telling him, but was still disconcerted by the way his eyes would flick down to the area of Riku's heart.

"I thought everyone in the Organization was a Nobody..." Riku trailed off and at the same time backed up against the wall. He tried to summon a portal into the wall, but his energy was sapped. There was nothing left, and certainly not enough for a trip between worlds.

Saix advanced slowly on him, that shadowed smile never faltering.

"Its not that bad Riku. Like getting a needle. It only pinches for a moment. Then you'll be one of us, and you can help us to regain our hearts. And you'll have power to control the Heartless and the Nobodies. You could control everything," he said. By now he had backed Riku into a corner, but the boy wasn't going to go down without a fight and summoned the soul eater.

He placed his other hand over his heart, ready to keep it the way it should be.

Saix saw the weapon and held his hands up, backing up and giving Riku his space back.

"No need for violence. If you don't want the power of a Nobody then thats fine. But I hope you'll at least allow me to ask you a few questions."

Now that there was space between them again Riku sat down and got comfortable, knowing he'd need to get his energy back before he tried any sort of half-baked escape plans. But he kept a very careful eye on the man who leaned against the bars of his cell.

"Why were you trying to kidnap Roxas?"

Riku looked away.

"There has to be a reason. You weren't trying to kill him. Just trying to take him through a portal. Why?"

It could have been his imagination, but Riku thought he heard anger bubbling up in Saix's voice.

"Maybe I was going to hold him ransom?"

Saix didn't seem to think this was funny and looked out the bars, as if anxious to leave this place now. Frankly, Riku would have preferred the other man, the one called Xaldin to come back.

"So, since I won't be allowing myself to be turned into a Nobody, what are your plans for me now?"

Saix snorted and once again looked out the bars, as if he hoped his replacement might be by sooner than scheduled.

"Thats up to the Superior. If he can't think of something maybe we'll just kill you."

/Oh yeah, thats just great./

With little else to say, the two relaxed and were silent for the rest of Saix's shift as guard. Riku took the time to sleep for as much time as he could, trying to let his body heal and replenish his powers. But he did notice when it was the next time for the changing of the guards.

"Axel! You're late at your post."

Riku started a bit from the sudden yell of his cell mate, but looked up and saw a red head with tattooed diamonds under his eyes. He was smiling at how much he had obviously upset Saix and strolled into the jail, letting the other man out before slamming the door shut.

Saix just turned and scowled at the younger Nobody before huffing and leaving Riku's sight.

"Hello again Riku."

"Again?" Riku questioned, trying to keep him talking while he checked himself over. He still didn't have enough power to make an escape from this world. For some reason it was taking him longer than usual to regain his power over the darkness. He just assumed it was something in the nature of the World That Never Was.

"Oh yes. I watched you go through Castle Oblivion. I even lent you a hand a few times, though you never saw me," Axel said, then paused with another grin on his face. "I also knocked you out when you were trying to kidnap Roxas."

Immediately Riku's hand went to his head where there was small lump. Axel just chuckled and looked around the cell, as if trying to decide the best place to take up his post.

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't thank you for that," Riku spat at the other man, seriously considering taking his revenge now, dark powers or not.

"Hey man, you were trying to kidnap Roxas. I just did what anyone would do," he paused, leaning against a wall and smiling secretively at Riku. "I only did what you would have done for Sora."

If Riku had hackles, they would have been rising.

"Of course I can't blame you, after all, Sora's quite an interesting guy. Thought not nearly as interesting as Roxas," Axel said with a flick of his hand. He was baiting Riku, and doing a decent job of it. Parading his knowledge of Riku's feelings toward Sora around like they were nothing.

--Two can play at that game, you know.--

"Oh I know. So when exactly will Roxas be getting his turn in here with me?" now it was Riku's turn to look like the cat that had caught the canary.

Axel's smiled dropped and his face lengthened out, drawing his dark tattoos out along cheeks.

"Do you think we're idiots? You tried to kidnap him. There's no way we're letting him anywhere near you." As Axel finished, both men in the cell turned their heads to the sounds of commotion that were heading down the hall towards them.

"Shut up Demyx. I need to speak to him. And I don't care what the Superior says."

Riku recognized Roxas's voice and stood up, his coat still laying on the ground where he had used it for a blanket during his short nap.

Two Nobodies came into view of his cage, both with bright blue eyes and both that he had seen before. Roxas and the one he now had to assume was named Demyx. They looked to be the youngest of the Organization that he had seen so far. Roxas reached out for the door to the cage, but the boy with the mohawk stopped him.

"Axel, please, help. Tell Roxas he can't go in there. The others will have my hide if they know I let him in there!" He explained quickly, holding onto Roxas like one might a poisonous snake.

"He does have a point, Roxas. Its too dangerous to let you near him right now. Who knows what he might try," Axel reasoned through the bars, looking down at the fierce blond. Riku took the opportunity of Axel being occupied to approach him, and look at Roxas himself. Perhaps he could coax the boy to disobey the others and help him escape.

"What are you afraid of Axel?" Riku practically purred, watching the red head spin around and place himself between Riku and Roxas. Obviously the bars weren't enough in his opinion. "Worried I might tell Roxas something about who he is? Or," here Riku leaned in, not caring if Roxas or the other Nobody heard him, but wanting Axel to know this was for him. "That I might persuade him away from you?"

"See Roxas! That's what I'm talking about. We can't trust that guy," Demyx pleaded, pulling on the other's coat sleeve.

"Everyone else knows about who they were before they became a Nobody. I see no reason that I shouldn't."

Roxas met Riku's eyes again, and had to swallow away the dry feeling in his throat at the predatory look in the other's eyes. He didn't know why, but it definitely looked to him like Riku wanted him for himself. There was something almost longing in the look he gave him. As if Riku's survival hinged on taking Roxas away.

"What about a deal?" Riku said to Axel, though his eyes never left Roxas. "He can stay on the other side of the bars, where he's safe. And in return, I'll talk to him. Or is that not to your liking?"

At this Riku looked up with a challenge in his eyes. Axel seemed to fume even more, but Demyx quickly agree that this seemed to be the solution. But they all agreed that Roxas should only be allowed to speak to Riku when Xaldin or Saix, two of the strongest Organization members were having their turn at guard duty.

So Demyx and Roxas left, though not before Roxas took one last look at Riku, letting his throat get tight and a tingle run through his feet. He would find out why the silver haired boy had such an effect on him.

As soon as the two were out of the hallway Axel spun around and slugged Riku in the jaw. Completely unprepared for such an attack, Riku was flung to the floor and felt the bump on his head smack painfully against the wall. That was two that he now owed Axel.

"Stay the fuck away from Roxas, understand me?"

For the second time that day Riku felt himself hoisted up by hands in his shirt. Those green eyes with the tear like tattoos were much too close for his throbbing head to focus on.

"If you hurt a hair on his head, I swear, you'll beg me to make you a heartless." As if he needed to prove his conviction, he let fire heat up along his fingertips and he pressed them against Riku's chest, causing him to cry out and pull away from the taller man.

"I doubt you'd believe me, but I would never hurt Roxas. Ever."

Now that he was away from the scorching heat of Axel's hand, Riku grinned confidently again.

"Really now Axel, I don't think me hurting Roxas is what you're so worried about."

One straw too many, and the next thing Riku new a chakram added a third lump to his slowly growing collection.

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:dies: I always knew that the chapters where Riku is captured would be tough, but man, I was so scatterbrained while writing this chapter. I apologize for any crazy ramblingness. Sorry.

At least its a decent length. Hehe. Man...I love Riku and Axel fighting over Roxas. And yeah, I know that all Roxas ever does in the game is hate Riku, but if he's Sora and has flashbacks of Sora's memories and stuff, he has to have some latent feelings for Riku. Friendship in cannon, and definitely something more here in my fic.

I'm sure I say this every time, but I'll try and post the next chapter faster than this one. We're gonna be jumping forward in time in big leaps from now on.

Leave a review yo...it makes me write faster.


	5. The Hard Place

Once again, Riku found himself waking up to strange circumstances. Blinding white tiles were passing across his eyes so fast that he closed them with a grimace. His knees hurt and his feet were stretched at an awkward angle. The movement stopped and Riku opened his eyes, once again staring at the floor, which was now purple.

/Ah...this seems familiar./

The strong hand gripping him by the scruff of his shirt tightened and Riku was about to look up to see who had captured him this time, when suddenly the floor was flung away from him.

Feeling his body slam into the ground and roll a few feet, he also came to the conclusion that it was himself, and not the scenery that had been thrown away so abruptly.

"Rotten brat. If you keep this up, the Superior is going to just kill you outright. Even if it means losing a keyblade master, you're not worth the trouble," Xigbar said, sitting himself in a chair that had been brought into the jail. With the scars across his face, Xigbar never stopped looking angry, and as Riku sat up he saw the man's one eye glaring more intently at him.

"You have to admit, at least I'm getting better," Riku said with a smile. As soon as he did so he regretted it, as the motion had opened up a cut on the corner of his mouth. He licked and wiped the blood away, at the same time trying to heal his wounds with a bit of magic.

"It doesn't matter how "good" you are," the gunner made quotation marks in the air, "There's no way you'll be able to get out of here."

For the rest of Xigbar's shift he remained silent, and Riku saw no reason to try and entice him into speaking. Of all the Organization members, he seemed most annoyed by his time on guard duty. He was restless and usually took to cleaning and upgrading his weapons. Which meant Riku had time to attempt escaping while the Nobody was occupied.

--How many times is that now, boy? Five or six?--

/Five. And shut up. I'm trying to concentrate./

Riku focused on using as little dark power as he could and managed to cast a small cure spell on himself. He immediately felt the weariness go away, but his injuries remained. That was fine with him though, he would heal naturally while he came up with another plan.

--I would suggest the air vents, but this building is severely lacking.--

/If you don't have anything helpful to add, shut up and let me be./

Riku curled up and pulled his coat over himself as a blanket, hoping to take a nice long nap to regain his strength. His short time asleep came with dreams of heartless and of Shadow. When he was woken up by the sounds of footsteps, he could taste bile in the back of his throat. He coughed a few times to try and get it to go away and sat up, pushing the too warm coat off his body.

"Thank God. Get me out of here man. I'm going stir crazy."

Xigbar left the cell quickly without looking back. He was obviously still sore about having to deal with another of Riku's escapes by himself. And this time he had to follow the keyblade master through the realm of darkness, instead of just though the World That Never Was. Xaldin gave him a curt nod and took up his spot on the chair, while a familiar blond stood outside the cell.

Roxas usually came to speak with Riku while Xaldin was there, because the stoic Nobody left the two of them alone. After their initial encounter, Riku had never tried to escape with Xaldin on duty, and in fact the two had come to a sort of truce. Both respected each other, and they usually spent their time together in an almost friendly silence.

Riku shifted himself over so that he was leaning in the corner of his cell where the wall met the bars. Roxas stood outside, just a foot or so away. The thought of taking Roxas as a hostage in order to escape went through Riku's mind, but he doubted he'd be able to control the other keyblade wielder long enough to escape. The boy was exceptionally strong, as he'd already proven.

"To what do I owe the pleasure today?" Riku said, trying to look as enticing as he could with a split lip and slightly bruised jaw. Despite his impairment Roxas seemed as interested as ever.

--I am very intrigued to see if you will ever settle for one incarnation of your supposed one true love. I rather like this one, he's even more vicious than Shadow.--

/Shut up! Don't talk about him. Its your fault he's dead./

Riku snarled in his mind before shutting off his connection to Ansem completely.

"Are you ever going to tell me who I was? Did you know me before I became a Nobody?" Roxas jumped right in today, no small talk. He'd heard about the Superior's frustration with their captive, and was worried that his one chance at learning these things could disappear any day.

"I did know you before you were a Nobody," following suit, Riku decided to give the boy a few scraps of the knowledge he was so desperate for. "I don't think you're ready to hear about who you were though."

Those sky blue eyes were filled with frustration and Roxas turned around, slamming his back against the bars and crossing his arms. His pout caused a flutter in Riku's stomach, and the older boy smiled at the similarity to Sora. With a quick glance to be sure that Xaldin wasn't watching, he leaned his face as far through the bars as he could and placed a soft kiss on Roxas's jaw beneath his ear.

The Nobody jumped and turned around, but didn't retreat from the bars. Now they were facing each other and Riku could see the pink blush on the bridge of the boy's nose.

"I could show you who you were, Roxas. But not from in here," Riku whispered quickly before stretching his arms out to hide the motion of pulling back from the bars. Xaldin's cold eyes were watching him, but again looked away, almost allowing Riku his small discrepancies.

"Are you saying I should break you out? The Organization would kill me."

Riku just shrugged to show the boy that there was no other way. Roxas huffed and hung his head, debating his options. Unable to resist, Riku stretched out and gently ran a hand through the blond fringe.

A hand came from beyond the bars and snatched Riku's wrist in a tight grip. Looking up, he was less than surprised to see Axel standing next to Roxas.

"Axel! Let him go."

Roxas was being completely ignored by his two testosterone driven men. Riku pulled Axel closer to the bars by his wrist, challenging him with just a smirk. Axel extended one hand, in which flames began to flicker.

"Stop it, Axel."

A spear was place between the two feuding boys, and they released each other. Xaldin withdrew his weapon, but kept his condescending eyes on Axel. The redhead snorted and said something to Roxas. The boy looked surprised, and shot a weird look to Riku before quickly leaving.

"What was that all about?" Riku yelled to Axel, but the pyrokinetic just smiled, making his tattoos curve along his cheeks and followed after the blond.

"Perhaps you shouldn't antagonize Axel as much as you do."

Riku looked up in surprise at Xaldin's seeming concern for him. He knew they were enemies, and shouldn't even be considering becoming friends with the older man.

"Why? In a fair fight I think I'd have a pretty good chance against him," Riku responded, sounding less confident and more like he was defending his hurt pride.

"Thats the thing. Axel would never get into a fair fight. He fights with trickery and mind games. Once he has you vulnerable, he'll take you down."

Now he was interested. Riku turned completely away from the bars and sat facing where Xaldin had sat back down. He spear had dissolved into wherever it was all mystical weapons seemed to reside when not in use.

"Why would you warn me about this? Axel is on your side. I'd think if he managed to kill me it would be a victory for you as well."

Xaldin was very quiet for a few minutes, his eyes unfocused as he seemed to be remembering something. When he blinked out of his reverie and looked at Riku, he looked torn as to what he should say.

"Axel has not always been the most trustworthy Nobody. When he was in Castle Oblivion, he was ordered by the Superior to ensure the deaths of numerous of our members. And he did it without a qualm. I wouldn't trust someone who betrays those they side with so easily."

Riku just sat, his jaw hanging open. Axel had kill Organization members. Had killed his own teammates. No wonder the others all seemed on edge around him.

--You really shouldn't underestimate your foes. I would have thought you'd learned that lesson...--

He didn't even bother responding to Ansem's baiting tone.

"Heya!" The cheerful voice of Demyx called through the bars. He stood with his usually smile and waved to Xaldin. The older man just quirked an eyebrow at the odd Nobody.

"It's not your shift yet. Where's Saix?"

"Superior's called an important meeting. He told me to come here and take Saix's shift while you go to the throne room," he walked into the cell and stood by the wall, nodding his simple greeting to Riku.

Xaldin didn't mind being relieved early and left the cell, closing it behind him and leaving Demyx to lock it. Riku just sat watching Demyx smile. It was kinda creepy. And he wasn't moving away from the wall to sit down. After Xaldin's footsteps left the hallway, Riku saw Demyx's head jerk forward and his eyes fall shut. His body followed the motion and collapsed onto the ground.

Behind him stood Mickey, his golden keyblade in hand.

"Come on! We don't have much time."

Riku didn't waste a minute and was up, his coat thrown about his shoulders and the soul eater in his hand. The two darted out of the cell where Mickey took the lead, running down the hall to the left. Riku followed, zipping his coat up so it would make less noise as they ran.

"How did you sneak in?" He said quietly as he could as they took more turns down the white hallways, diving behind statues to avoid being scene by the patrolling dusks.

"Very carefully. We can talk about it later. The Gummi ship is in the alley by the skyscraper."

"I'll just open a portal to it," Riku said, although with his most recent escape he wasn't sure he had the power to do it.

"No! Save your strength, we might need it," with the guards gone Mickey waved Riku forward and they ran down more hallways. The castle wasn't as labyrinthine as Hollow Bastion's pathways, but were equally confusing because everything looked the same.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Riku said as they came into a room that finally looked different. There were glowing gravestones, with weapons and names engraved on the stones below. Riku recognized the weapon of Lexaeus and felt guilt come over him at realizing that those he and Sora had killed had been mourned for.

"Of course I do...I think." Mickey darted through a door that was apparently a portal and Riku quickly followed. This led them to a balcony with no escape.

"Maybe not..."

Riku sighed at Mickey's joking and looked around the edge of the balcony. It was way too far down for them to jump and survive.

"Guess we try another way?" Riku said with a smile aimed down at the king. His optimism seemed to be infectious. The mouse nodded and they ran back through the portal, taking a different pathway that led them through more halls and balconies. Judging by the relaxed way the Nobodies were wandering and floating around the castle, no one had noticed Riku's absence yet.

After dodging some dragoons the two found themselves faced with a large open platform. They paused in the doorway, trying to see if anyone would be able to see them from above.

"No cover." Riku stated plainly. Mickey nodded and started counting. When he reached three the two bolted from where they were hiding and ran as fast as they could across the blue platform.

As they ran towards the exit, a dark portal formed in front of them and a man stepped out of it. Riku cursed and clenched his hand on the soul eater.

The newcomer took down his hood, and long white bangs fell in front of his orange eyes. Riku felt a shudder go through his body. This man. He looked exactly like...

--Me? Hm...this is very odd. I wonder who he could be?--

/The man has your face. What kind of trick is this/

--No trick of mine.--

"And where do you think you're going Riku," The man shifted his gaze to Mickey and seemed to recognize him. "Ah, you are friends with his majesty here."

Looking to Mickey, Riku saw that the king did indeed seem to know this man. Though it looked like he couldn't seem to place him.

"And who are you?" Riku shouted, although he was inching his way closer to the man and the exit, hoping he might be able to take the Nobody down quickly and secure their escape.

"My name is Xemnas. I am the leader of Organization XIII."

Riku stopped his earlier plan and quickly reconsidered it.

"Mickey..." He hissed down to his companion, although he got no response. If this man was the leader, no doubt he was strong. Hopefully not strong enough to take them both on though. They rushed him in tandem, but were stopped by an attack of his that left bolts of darkness wrapped around their bodies.

Mickey struggled and managed to cut his way out using his keyblade, but Riku was held tight. It felt like the darkness was sinking into his body, running through his veins like poison. He screamed and Mickey ran to him, cutting through the tendrils and catching the boy as his body fell to the ground.

"And now I've gone from having one keyblade master captured to two. What a good day."

Xemnas approached and summoned two red glowing blades into his hands. Mickey stood in front of Riku and prepared to launch an attack on him when suddenly Xemnas stopped. He looked down in surprised to see a pool of darkness at his feet. As he tried to step forward and reach Riku and Mickey, he sunk through the floor and the portal closed.

"Huh?" Mickey walked forward, examining the spot where Xemnas had been. "Where'd he go?"

"The void surrounded this castle. I think..." Riku panted out, standing up and feeling less exhausted than he would have thought.

--The attack he used on you. You absorbed some of the darkness. I can feel it in you. Its much more powerful than before.--

Riku noticed that Ansem's voice was much clearer now but ignored it. He wasn't going to risk Xemnas realizing what happened and returning for them.

"Hold on!"

Riku grabbed Mickey and wrapped him in a hug as he sunk into the realm of darkness. It slid around him easily, not suffocating as it usually did. In seconds he and the king found themselves falling out onto wet concrete. It smelled like a summer storm had just ended.

"Riku! What did you do?"

--/For having just saved us, you think he'd be more grateful./--

Riku stopped as he noticed that he had not spoken alone. He shook his head as if that would dislodge the malevolent voice even though he knew it would do no good. He stood up and the two of them jumped up into the Gummi ship. Mickey had a pensive look on his face, one that Riku had never seen. They took off, soaring away from the World That Never Was and into the pathways between worlds.

"What's wrong Mickey? We got out didn't we?"

The king remained silent before setting the ship to autopilot to take them back to the mansion in Twilight Town. He turned and looked sadly at Riku.

"Look at your reflection, Riku."

He did as he was told and found a shiny piece of the gummi ship that allowed him to see himself. His eyes were a fierce golden orange and the skin around his eyes was a dark tan that spread out like a stain across his face. The tips of his hair that fell across his eyes were white as well.

/What's going on? This has never happened before/

--I think its a good look for you.--

/Only saying this once. Shut the fuck up./

Riku tried not to panic and to force himself to relax. He concentrated on letting the darkness out of his body, as he did before using a cure spell. When he opened his eyes they were green again, and his skin was back to its natural color.

"Riku, you can't use the darkness anymore. Soon you won't be able to stop it."

They sat in silence as the ship descended into the courtyard of the mansion. Shoving open the cockpit Riku jumped out, tired and just wanting to return to some normalcy.

"Riku. Why didn't you wait?"

Mickey didn't say it angrily, or like a chastising parent. If he had, Riku knew he would have exploded at him and regretted it. Instead it was a sad question. In all the time he had been imprisoned, Riku knew the king would be worrying about him.

"I'm sorry Mickey. I thought I could convince Roxas to come with me without a fight. We were interrupted by Axel."

The mouse nodded and together they went into the mansion and predictably Riku headed straight for the room where the pods were. When he reached Sora's he sat down and just stared at the boy. Even asleep like this the resemblance between him and his Nobody was easy to see.

"I'm sure you must have learned a lot. We'll talk about it in the morning, okay?" Mickey said cheerfully, putting a hand on Riku's shoulder. He found the touch comforting and nodded to his friend.

He would go back to his room and rest in a little while. For now he just wanted to be with Sora for a while. He had missed seeing the boy every day and knowing that he was safe.

"Next time, Sora. I'll get him next time for sure."

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I wonder if maybe my writing has started sucking or something...lots of views on this fic. A ton in fact. But very few reviews. Ah well. I enjoy it...I can only hope you guys do too. Next chapter we have the final chapter that takes place before the game begins. Then its gonna REALLY pick up.

I swear...and yeah, the updates are taking a bit mostly because of my two jobs. They sure love makin me work...


	6. Captive

"I don't like this plan. You shouldn't just run in there again, Riku."

Riku ignored Mickey and continued down the curving stairs of the mansion, pulling his coat securely around himself and zipping it up. The king trailed after him.

"It won't be like last time. I'll have you for backup if anything goes wrong. And I know not to underestimate Roxas this time," he said over his shoulder as he opened the door to the courtyard. Hidden under a grove of trees and a camouflage tarp was the gummi ship.

It had taken Riku a few weeks to recover, and even after that time he still felt the buzzing of his dark power in the back of his skull. It was a noise only he could hear, and was really starting to annoy him.

"Alright, but remember, if anything goes wrong, head back to the ship," Mickey said, perking up with his usual amount of optimism.

They boarded the gummi and once again flew to the World That Never Was. They landed in the same alleyway as always, and disembarked.

Riku turned around to put up a dark shield around the ship when he noticed Mickey carrying a large black bundle.

"What's that?" He asked, trying not to laugh at the small king struggling under the weight of his burden.

"Well, I figured we could just cover the gummi ship with this, what with how dark it is here. And since I'll be guarding it this time."

The king stood proudly in front of the now covered gummi ship. Even Riku had to admit that it did blend in well with the dark walls of this world. With a quick nod the two were back to being professionals on a mission.

Riku made his way quietly through the tall buildings, hiding in the shadows were the neon lights couldn't reach. He wasn't sure where the Nobody he searched for could be, but he wasn't in the castle. Ever since absorbing more darkness into himself, he could sense more accurately than ever.

Roxas was somewhere in the city.

He had to duck down into a nook to hide from some neoshadows as they went by on patrol. Riku decided it might not be the best decision to stay on the ground where the heartless seemed to be more active. He approached the memory skyscraper but couldn't find an entrance.

While he ran his hands over the front, hoping he would trigger something to open and let him in, he heard and smelled heartless approaching. Hoping it would do no harm he opened a small portal and transported himself up to the top of the tower.

The air up there was much clearer, and lacked the stench of the heartless that hung in the alleyways like fog. He went carefully over to the edge, looking around at the streets down below, searching for Roxas. As his eyes swept over the edge, he saw his reflection in a pool of rainwater, rippling in the current light rain.

--It shouldn't be a surprise to you by now Riku. You're a smart keyblade master. It should be easy to figure out then every time you use the darkness you slowly become what you truly are. Me.—

Riku ignored Ansem, and just looked at his reflection, using his hands to shield the puddle from the rain. As the image stilled and cleared he could see that it was just his eyes and the small area of skin around them. He had the opposite tan of someone who sleeps in the sun with sunglasses.

Had his eyes not been orange it would have almost been funny. But as it was, this development made Riku even more self-conscious during this mission. He couldn't fail again.

/I don't want Roxas to see me like this./

Using the soul eater he cut into the bottom of his coat and pulled off a long strip of fabric. He wound it around his eyes, practically blinding himself. He knew he couldn't fight like this.

--Let me help you. You could see in the world of darkness where there isn't a speck of light. Control your powers, focus them.—

As much as he hated it, Riku did as Ansem suggested and soon found himself able to see through the blindfold, as if it were made of thin material.

--What? No thank you?—

/Go away. I would have figured it out on my own./

Riku stopped arguing with himself when he finally caught sight of a blond running through the streets below. Dusks flanked him, moving in their own twitchy way. Riku followed him around the edges of the skyscraper, standing and waiting for the right moment to reveal himself.

As Roxas entered the area in front of the skyscraper, the heartless that had been awakened by the prospect of eating Riku's heart turned on the other keyblade master instead. His dusks attacked the smaller black creatures, but were outnumbered by droves of the shadows and neoshadows. He drew both his keyblades and began cutting through them like they were nothing.

Riku watched carefully, the boy was truly fierce in battle. He was fast and didn't give his opponents a minute to retaliate. When it looked like he was getting tired, Riku whistled down to him.

Even in the heat of battle Roxas heard the noise and looked up, his hood having fallen over his head in the middle of the fighting. He raised a hand to hold the edge up, and finally recognized Riku standing on top of the tower.

He dispatched a few more neoshadows and took off for the front of the skyscraper. Riku had to wonder how the boy planned to make it up to where he was without using a portal.

Roxas leapt up and ran up the front of the building, spinning the oblivion and oathkeeper in front of him, slicing through anything in the way. He was obviously not in a good mood.

When he was close enough to Riku he pulled his arm back and flung the oblivion forward in a move Riku had seen Sora use a dozen times. Without missing a beat he leapt forward and grabbed the hilt of the blade.

The feeling of a keyblade in his hand again gave him a surge of adrenaline and the desire to destroy. But he held his hand as he passed Roxas on his plummet downwards. Twisting his body around so that he was falling feet first, he slammed the oblivion into the wall of the skyscraper and caught on a ledge, stopping his descent.

Gravity seemed to have caught up with Roxas and as he fell he braced his feet against the wall, trying to slow as well.

Riku figured he'd waited long enough and leapt out, impaling a neoshadow on the black blade before even landing. He felt Roxas land next to him, their backs pressed together.

/I guess now I've fought alongside all the keyblade masters./

As it was with Sora and Mickey, the keyblades harmonized with each other and the two boys dueled their enemies and protected each other like it was a natural instinct. The hoards were lessening and soon the few survivors dashed away into alleys or returned to the darkness.

Riku didn't know what to expect, but he had hoped that Roxas wouldn't spin around and try to severe his head from his shoulders. Sadly, Riku's hopes were dashed.

"Roxas, wait! I'm not here to fight you!"

The two keyblades locked together but Roxas pushed him away. They met again, and Riku could feel the hatred pouring off of the other. Considering that they had left on good terms, this just confused Riku more.

With a forceful strike Riku ended up on his back, with the oathkeeper hanging dangerously in front of his face.

"I won't listen to your lies anymore. Xemnas told me what happened between you and the other keyblade master."

Riku stopped completely, unsure if he had heard the blond right. His mind immediately assumed that Roxas had to be jealous of his feelings for Sora. Perhaps Xemnas had finally caved in to the young organization member and told him the truth.

"What did Xemnas tell you?"

Roxas didn't seem inclined to answer and instead began the fight again, trying to get his second keyblade back from Riku by summoning it. But to his surprise it stayed firmly in the other's grasp. This gave the older boy the opportunity to get back on his feet and back on the offensive.

He swung hard at Roxas's unprotected side, and his body spun from the hard impact, leaving him on the cold ground.

Their positions were now reversed, and Riku waited patiently for the answer to his question.

"He told me all about the dark keyblade that you can summon. And that you killed the other keyblade master, turning him into a heartless and making me. Its your fault I'm here. Its your fault I'm not real."

Riku dropped the oblivion, which disappeared into the air before it struck the ground. Even if Xemnas had left out some of the most important facts, especially that Sora still lived, Roxas was right. It was his fault that Sora had ever gotten his hands on the dark keyblade.

"Lets see how you like being a Nobody."

Roxas had leapt up while Riku was distracted and once again wielded the dual keyblades. Riku tried to summon the soul eater, but didn't have enough time. Instead he managed to dodge the first of Roxas's attacks, but the second pinned part of his coat to the ground.

He could see the pure rage in Roxas's eyes as he pulled back the oathkeeper, ready to plunge it into Riku's chest.

Everything slowed down and Riku felt his body go lax. There was the ringing sound of a blade being met by a barrier, and he saw Roxas flying back again. Everything was turning darker, and with his hazy thoughts he assumed the blindfold was to blame. When he pulled it off though, the dark film around the edges of his sight remained.

Roxas just looked at him confused and possibly afraid. Riku didn't care.

He extended his hand and summoned a ball of darkness, hurling the thing directly at the boy cowering on the ground. It struck him dead on and burst like water, the black tendrils wrapping around him and forcing him unconscious.

Riku pulled the boy's body up, cradling it like an infant and let the darkness take him to the alley where the gummi ship waited.

As soon as he was free of the darkness, Mickey was standing before him, his golden keyblade held out. But after one look at the sleeping keyblade master, and searching the now orange eyes of the boy, no, the man before him, Mickey released his weapon.

"Riku? What have you done?"

--"We have to get Roxas to Sora. We have to wake him up."—

"Riku, this isn't right. It wasn't worth doing this to yourself. You…what if you can never go back to the way you were?" Mickey pleaded, but Riku passed by him, only sparing a glance into the reflective cockpit of the ship. His long white hair reached his waist, and his skin was the orange tan of his worst enemy.

He didn't respond to Mickey, not wanting to hear that man's voice coming out of him. They boarded the ship, but when the king went to take off Riku batted his hand away. His own hands were so large now. They felt weird, and too long.

Mickey squirmed uncomfortably in his chair as the ship was soaked in darkness, slipping down in the concrete like it was air.

"Riku…"

"Don't worry, the damage has been done. One little portal isn't going to make any difference now," Riku said, noticing that his voice was his again. He much preferred the sound of his own voice, and not the deep voice that was Ansem's.

--Yes, but you just look silly with my body and your voice. Its embarrassing.—

/I've had enough of you for today. You got what you wanted alright. Now leave me the hell alone./

Soon golden orange light was beaming into his eyes, and Riku recognized the sunset tint of Twilight Town. In silence the two went into the mansion, and headed for the room with the horse head statue that led to the secret basement.

"Diz is here," he said quietly to Mickey before they reached the computer room.

Indeed the man in his red bandages was sitting in front of the computer, engrossed in his work. He seemed quite surprised by Riku's appearance as he entered, but was then completely distracted by Roxas.

"You captured number XIII. Excellent. The computer is ready for him. Set him down over there."

Riku did as he was told, putting the limp body of the Nobody on a platform with a small beam of light above it.

"What are you going to do to Roxas?"

"I've set up a digital version of this world, Twilight Town, within this computer. Roxas will be kept in this digital world, and his memories will be fed by the computer directly into Sora's pod. Until then, he shall have no memory of his life as an Organization member, and when all of his essence has been transferred to Sora, he will disappear. He will rejoin with his original body."

Riku looked down at the blond, who had bested him twice and learned how to dual wield the keyblades, something none of the three current masters had achieved.

"The poor thing."

With sparkles and cracks of electricity, Roxas disappeared. Riku knew it was for the best. That he would have Sora returned to him faster now. But his heart still ached as he watched Roxas live out his pretend life, trapped in the computer, with only enemies watching over him.

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So…yeah…my computer died. So it'll be a while before I can scan and upload the picture for the last chapter that I did, or any more in the future. I'm able to write now on another computer, but updates still might be a little slow. Rejoice people! We're now in the cannon part of KH2! The fun starts. At least I think its fun..hopefully you all will too.


	7. Flicker

"His heart is returning. Doubtless he'll awaken very soon," Diz said.

Riku just watched the boy and his friends discuss being branded as thieves. Their pictures were all missing, and had been taken from the digital world by an outsider.

"Where did the pictures go?" Riku stood behind Diz in his chair, the two watching the events play out on the screens as Sora's Nobody went on to challenge the other children of the digital Twilight Town.

A low ranking Nobody zipped across the multiple screens, snatching the camera out of the hands of one of Roxas's friends.

"A dusk," Riku snarled.

"It's the Organization. The miscreants have found us. Namine has to hurry, if they manage to take Roxas out of the digital Twilight Town Sora will never be able to wake up."

As Diz turned to say something to Riku, he was already approaching the light beam that would transport him into the other Twilight Town. His bulky form fit under the light and he felt himself gently tugged, like gravity had switched directions on him. When he opened his eyes again he was in an identical room, though Diz was absent from this one.

--Ever the hero, are we Riku? You'd best be careful, who knows what damage you could do to Sora while his memories are being reconstructed.—

/Don't you have somewhere else you can be/

--And who precisely are you trying to save? Sora or Roxas. You'll have to make your choice soon.—

Riku wouldn't answer the voice in his head, and seeing his reflection in the metallic walls of the mansion he pulled his hood up to cover his face. He hoped he wouldn't have to hide his identity from anyone, but it was best to be prepared.

The similarities between this Twilight Town and the real one where his allies were hiding out were impeccable. Not a book out of place as he ascended the secret staircase.

--I can sense him. One of the Nobodies is lurking outside. He's distressed about something.—

/You're more talkative than normal./ Riku stretched out his senses and brushed against the same darkness that Ansem had mentioned. It was familiar.

--You know that your use of the darkness just brings us closer together. I'm not complaining of course. Frankly it would be boring if I really do take over this body of yours. I'd miss you, Riku.—

/Shut up. Leave me alone already./

After stepping through a wall that had transformed into a portal, Riku emerged in the orange glow of Twilight Town. The mansion was a comforting sight behind him, but the man in the black trench coat ahead was setting his nerves on edge.

Axel turned around, his sweep of hair fluttering in the breeze as he looked like a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A lowly dusk huddled at his feet, shivering and retreating behind him. Obviously it could feel Riku's power and felt safer behind its commander.

"Who are you?" The pyro demanded. Riku didn't answer and instead summoned the power of darkness into his hand, forming a ball of blue and black energy.

Axel dropped the ice cream he'd been holding onto and summoned his chakrams.

"I asked you a question! Learn some manners," With that he summoned flames around a chakram and threw it at Riku, who fired his own attack and the two deflected off each other.

But the redhead was fast and in Riku's face before he could recover from the adrenaline-like rush his body felt as the darkness pumped into him. In that moment he summoned the soul eater, but could only force Axel back with it at this close range.

A burst of fire nearly caught him in the face, and the force of dodging it knocked back his hood. Axel's eyes went huge and he stepped back, his mouth working but no words coming forth.

/--Same color I used to have.--/

"What the hell are you?" Axel didn't wait for an answer but disappeared, most likely escaping the digital world to report to his master what he'd found.

Riku just sighed and slumped down against the gate. It clanged loudly, startling birds from their perches in the trees nearby. A tinkling sound came from somewhere to his right, and Riku lolled his head in that direction. His body was still coming down from its most recent high on the darkness.

Green symbols flashed around in circles, and when the lightshow ended Diz was standing in the spot. Riku knew it was just the digital version; after all, it was Diz's job to keep Namine working on getting Sora back. He wouldn't just leave his post.

"Axel is here. He will do nothing but cause trouble left on his own. I think you should stay here for now. Keep an eye on Roxas and make sure Axel doesn't get to him. I'll tell you if he shows up on the monitors," Diz said. As quickly as he had arrived he dissolved back into information and Riku was blissfully alone again.

Lacking a better option he dragged his overexerted body up and slipped through a portal to the white room inside the mansion. It was an exact replica of the real one, right down to the childlike drawings of himself and the others.

He let himself relax against the wall, the room still warm from the powerful dying sun that hung in the sky day after day.

When he woke up he found himself curled up more, and his coat hugged tightly to his body. He was refreshed now, his abilities and powers having recharged during the night.

/Doesn't feel like I slept that long…/

--Perhaps your sense of time has been affected by the digital town. Or it could be Namine's doing.—

/You know, when I'm talking to myself its not an invitation for you to answer./

If a person's own internal demons and darkness personified could pout, Ansem would most certainly be doing so.

Riku stretched and heard joints popping and his neck cracking. Pressing his hand to the wall he felt the darkness flow from him to the portal and back out into Twilight Town, along the alleyway where he sensed something dark.

When he emerged he looked for Axel, but the Organization member must have already traveled back through the portals.

/Where did he--/

A stick hit Riku right in the chest and his eyes were drawn to the blond in front of him. He knew this boy. But he was still different. Fake. Emptier than he had been as a Nobody. But also more peaceful. He smiled nervously at the imposing black coated figure .

Riku didn't want this encounter to go any longer. He was risking too much having any contact with Roxas.

"Oh! Sorry…about that…"

But Riku was gone and had slipped through an entrance into the underground tunnels of Twilight Town. As he wandered the nearly abandoned corridors, a familiar red form turned the corner and crossed his arms imposingly in front of him.

"Ansem," Riku hated the derisive tone that Diz always had when he spoke his false name. "Roxas has used the keyblade. He is being merged faster and faster with Sora. Namine is struggling to keep the memories from melding with the digital world. When he realizes who he once was, the time will have come for us to awaken Sora."

He nodded and Diz digitalized himself out of Twilight Town and left Riku to his own devices again. But he was growing impatient and transported himself through the dark realm to the entrance of the train station. Picking up a stick he hurled it down in front of Roxas causing him to fall on his face.

Riku couldn't help but grin at the boy's clumsiness.

As he was standing up Riku harshly grabbed his arm and pulled him up. The Nobody was so much shorter than him now. He missed being closer in height to Roxas.

"Can you feel Sora?"

But Roxas just had an expression of complete confusion on his face as he looked up into the shadowy face of the man that held him. Riku released him and returned to the mansion, leaving Roxas to wonder if he'd seen him at all.

Riku leaned against the wall and watched Diz watch Roxas.

--There's a lot of watching going on. You feeling voyeuristic, Riku?—

/Maybe./

For once Ansem seemed to have been thrown off his game and fell silent.

"Where's Mickey gone to?" He asked while watching Roxas attack the dusks that had begun appearing in his town.

"Some of the Organization members have been causing trouble again. He's keeping as much peace as he can in the worlds until Sora awakens. He's also searching for the former leader of Hollow Bastion, Ansem the Wise."

/Anyone you know/

--Perhaps. But I don't give away information such as that for free, dear boy./

"I hope he finds him and gets back here soon," he finished and leaned against the wall, hoping to catch a bit of rest. He was tired of all of this. Everything seemed to be rushing up to face him and he couldn't fend off all his problems at once. Eventually they were going to catch up to him.

--You would be much more rested if you let me take over for a while. Remember how relaxing it once was to just let yourself go. It's not I can do much in your current form without drawing attention to myself.—

/I'm not listening…/

With his eyes closed and the voice in his head quiet again, Riku relaxed enough to lose track of time. As he dozed, he heard someone calling from nearby and brought his attention back to the monotony of the computer room.

"Damn her. Namine is talking to Roxas. Stop her, now!" Diz yelled, and Riku obeyed without wasting a moment.

As he appeared in the oddly blue and white room, Namine was currently asking Roxas if he remembered his true name. Again, as he always responded to questions about Sora, the boy just looked confused. Like the thought was just dangling on the tip of his tongue, barely out of reach.

"Say no more, Namine!" Riku said as he roughly pulled her up. This girl cared for Roxas. He knew what she was doing, and why it was taking so long to awaken Sora.

"But if no one tells him, Roxas will…"

As she said this Riku tightened his grip on her and she stopped talking, but the twinge of pain in her face caused him to release her immediately. She looked so much like Kairi sometimes.

There he stood. Next to the shadows of the two people he loved most in his life. They were shells of his two best friends, but he wasn't even that. He was something worse.

With the usual flick of his hand, Riku opened a portal behind Roxas. Foolishly the boy spun around to look at it and Riku took a firm hold of the blond spikey hair and pushed the smaller boy through the opening.

He returned to the mansion again, and felt the heaviness slowly creep into his borrowed body, worse than before. All this travel wasn't good for him, and he knew that Ansem felt the weakness growing. He would wait for his opportunity. Riku had no question about that.

But as he appeared in the computer room, the witch he thought he had alongside him was missing.

"Was that Namine made of data?" he said as he flexed his fingers, contemplating the girl that had felt so real.

"She hijacked the data herself," Diz said, and in anger he slammed his fist into the monitor. "She's completely beyond my control."

"Calm down. She likes Roxas, it's obvious. Probably just a feeling left over from Kairi."

--She isn't the only one with vestiges of emotions in her.--

Diz nodded, and watched again as Roxas returned to the children of Twilight Town. Riku had noticed that the mysterious man in red had gone through the effort to input the exact likenesses of the people who lived outside their mansion, in the real Twilight Town.

"As long as she does her job and awakens Sora, we'll be fine. And she can go free to do whatever she wants."

/--I don't believe him. Namine's too powerful to be left on her own. What is Diz planning?--/

"If you don't need me anymore, these cat naps aren't cutting it. I'll be in the spare room trying to sleep."

Diz excused him with a nod of his head.

Slowly but surely Riku made his way down to the first floor of the mansion, sparing a glance to the carved unicorns at the foot of the staircases, and the family crest flanked by two more of the creatures above him. He pulled open the door that was almost jammed shut and went into an ancient guest room of sorts, which was little more than a window, desk, and a bed covered in an old tarp.

He pulled it off and tried to relieve the mattress of some of its decades of dust by beating it with his fist, but that only seemed to make the situation worse. So he settled for climbing onto the overly soft bed and ignoring the layers of dust that remained.

As he drifted off to sleep he found his arm curling in front of his stomach, wishing for something he had adjusted to sleeping without. Someone who never betrayed him, nor questioned his trust. Someone who would call him 'Ku' in the middle of the night, and press into the heat of his stomach and chest with a little squirm.

/Shadow./

Before Riku fell asleep, he could feel Ansem stirring in his mind again. And though he didn't voice it, the keyblade master sensed what his alter ego was thinking. Thoughts of gaining a body through bribery.

Riku didn't want to think about the choice between having Shadow back, and giving his body to Ansem for good. The line was too indistinct and kept his mind awake when his body just wanted to sleep.

And for some reason he now saw bright blue eyes framed with blond hair, imagining the soft skin and hard muscles of a keyblade wielder held tight beneath leather and a dark hood.

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So yeah, I just want to remind everyone that I try and stick to the story of the game, during the scenes that Riku takes part in at least, but I'm not going to be exact. Scenes or lines that I don't particularly like, or feel like they don't fit with the fic either get altered or cut altogether.

Soon people….soon we shall have some fun and hopefully the story will pick up. Having played the game through a few more times, Riku is really only in the Twilight Town scenes, the brief moment in Mulan, and the ending in the World That Never Was. So the story is probably going to jump dramatically from Riku-moment to Riku-moment.

Only one more chapter till Sora wakes up. I can't wait. Sorry for the delays…damn college education….


	8. Stand In

"Ku?" 

Riku knew something was off as soon as he heard the voice. That soft, playful voice that managed to be child-like and mature all at once. The feeling of hair tickling his chin made him toss his head back, trying to get away from the sensation.

"Wake up," the voice cooed to him in his ear, hot breath sliding humidly along his cheek.

"No," Riku replied.

Hands brushed along his jaw, stroking back and forth, the fingertips just trailing by the corners of his lips. This person exuded heat. Riku couldn't stop himself from reaching out and curling his arm around the body.

Instead he found cool sheets, layered in a film of grime. He felt heavier, his bulky body causing the worn out mattress to dip below him.

--He may not be gone forever you know. Everyone is made of light and dark. Even the keyblade master may not be able to rid himself of the darkness so easily.—

/You don't know Sora. Not like I do. He's tenacious./

In the silence in his mind, Riku left the room that he had taken up residence in for the past day or so. Even after all this time in this world, sleeping while the sun was constantly setting still threw him for a loop. He was tired all the time, but still slept for much longer than he should be able to.

Without really intending to, Riku made his way to the room across the foyer from his. He didn't bother knocking; maybe he felt that pleasantries were out of place in a battle of good and evil. Or maybe he'd simply always been a rude kid.

Diz was sitting in his chair, just as Riku assumed he would be. Sitting in a high backed chair that made him look like royalty. But the splintered table ruined the illusion.

"I want some answers Diz."

"As you wish, Ansem. But now may not be the best time…" He trailed off, his braided fingers held together in front of his lips nervously.

Riku sat down in the chair opposite the glowing eyed man. He refused to be turned away so quickly, and with the only reason being that it wasn't the 'best time'.

"What do you really want?"

"Revenge," Ansem said without hesitation.

"What?" Riku replied, too quickly. He was becoming too interested in this man's own personal vendetta. All that mattered was Sora.

--Siding with a man bent on revenge. You sure know how to pick them, my boy.—

"This will have to wait. Namine is out of control. You must take her out of the situation now. It is time to revive Sora," Diz paused, watching the way Riku's hands clenched as the adrenaline surged through him at the mere thought of what was to come. All the time and effort of searching, and now the chance to see Sora was within his grasp.

"I will send Roxas to the mansion. Guard the gate and make sure to keep the Nobodies out until he arrives. If Axel or the dusks manage to get into the mansion, there is the chance they will discover Sora."

Images of the Nobodies clawing their way into Sora's cocoon, dragging him away into the darkness sparked the rage in Riku.

--"Don't worry, I won't let them through."—

Diz made no remark on the deepening of Riku's voice. He merely watched him leave; keeping his eyes on that all too familiar face with the sweep of white hair curling about his shoulders like feathers.

Riku didn't want to waste time and opened a portal to the clearing of trees that surrounded the gate. A few lowly dusks were walking around in their unsettling and jerky way. The soul eater was in Riku's hand before he had to think about it, and he had cut down the weak Nobodies.

From behind him he heard a strange noise, like cicadas in the summer back on Destiny Islands. When he turned around, an assassin was coming out of the ground, throwing its rows of serrated spikes at him. He managed to block the attack, but when he swung back the soul eater bounced harmlessly off the protective shell.

Circling the creature, he knew that it was watching and sizing him up at the same time. But then it moved its spikes down, preparing to attack, and Riku used the opportunity to rush forward, planting the sharp end of the soul eater deep into the creature's back. It shuddered and spasmed in the air, and with another sharp swipe it disappeared.

The sound of footsteps made Riku retreat to the shadowy corner where the wall and the natural rock of the area met. A little push from the darkness and he was effectively hidden.

Roxas came running into the clearing, looking confused and a little too much like the member of Organization XIII that Riku knew.

--His memories are returning. I wonder how he'll feel about you once he's recovered them fully?—

/How he feels for me doesn't matter. By the time the day is out, he'll be reintegrated into Sora. Roxas shouldn't even exist./

--Such harsh words from such an abomination as ourself.—

Riku focused again on the fight that had since escalated in the clearing. Roxas was surrounded by dusks and assassins, and was using the kingdom key to destroy as many as he could. But Riku knew that Axel was somewhere nearby, flooding this world with his personal Nobody followers.

When it looked like the blond was going to be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of his enemies, he turned around and threw his fist at the gate.

"Why invite me just to lock me out!"

The anger in his voice was definitely familiar to Riku. Roxas was slowly reverting to his true self. Or, as true a self as a Nobody can possess.

As if a light switch had been flicked, Roxas raised the keyblade and a beam of light shot out into the lock holding the iron gates closed. The lock opened and the blond burst through, ignoring the Nobodies that were at his heels.

But Riku leapt into the mass, swinging his blade and sending wave upon wave of Nobodies into thin air. He sensed that some were appearing in the mansion, and knew he'd have to go and protect the laboratory where Sora was kept. A few more slashes to take out the newest arrivals, and Riku slipped through a portal into the mansion.

He could feel that someone else was lurking around inside. But he had no time to chase down the familiar smell of ashes and darkness that Axel left behind wherever he went.

As he arrived in Namine's white room, Diz was telling Roxas something, who again looked angrier and resembled his true self more and more.

"Diz, we're out of time. There are too many Nobodies."

To Riku's surprise a third figure appeared out of a portal of darkness, Namine. But this wasn't the data based Namine that had been sneaking into the world and talking with Roxas. This one had really transported herself here using her own dark abilities.

She began to yell something to Roxas, about how he wouldn't disappear, and that they would meet again, but Diz grabbed her and hauled her back through her own portal.

"Wait!"

As he was about to escape through his own portal, Riku turned and looked into Roxas's confused face.

--The boy wants answers. His memory is coming back, so he knows that you two had…interactions.—

/We don't know that he remembers me./

"Riku?"

/Okay, so its possible he remembers me./

"What's going on? What did Namine mean, that I'll be someone different?"

He stood there, unsure of whether or not to answer the boy's questions. Those pleading blue eyes were tempting. It was impossible for Riku to even lie to himself about the attraction he still felt for the shell.

"Go to the library, you've seen the missing symbol in your dreams," Riku said.

Stepping through the blackness of the portal Riku left Roxas as well as the digital world. Arriving in the computer room he found Diz commanding Namine to do something, and it didn't take much to know what this argument was about.

"Sora is the savior of the worlds—" Diz began, before Namine boldly interrupted.

"Or the destroyer. He is merely the keyblade master. For all we know Roxas could be the wielder to save the worlds," she pleaded.

"Do it Namine," Riku said and her attention shifted to him. "Please. We need Sora. I need him. Please."

There was no hint of Ansem's deep voice blending in with Riku's. And his begging, though awkward coming from a man twice her size, seemed to strike a chord in Namine.

"Fine, get him into the pod room with Sora, and I'll take care of it," she said with a resigned sigh.

"Thank you, Namine," Riku said, reaching out and patting her gently on the shoulder. She smiled up at him, and he knew that she saw the real Riku, not the disguise he had been forced into.

As he was about to exit the computer room and head to Sora's pod, a familiar voice piped up from the stairs leading up to the library.

"What's going on? There are Nobodies all over the place!" Mickey cried out, throwing his hood back from his ears.

"Mickey, we're being over run. The Organization found us, we have to keep them from getting to Sora before Namine can assimilate Roxas."

Riku realized he had said everything in one quick breath, and wondered if Mickey understood his hurried directions.

"Right. I'll keep the Nobodies in the data town from crossing over, you hold down the fort on this side," the king called out, barely stopping in the room before he reached out and touched the beam, disappearing into a stream of data.

--The king has been keeping the rest of the Organization under control in the other worlds. No doubt he is tired and weak. Are you sure he's capable to handle the other Twilight Town on his own?—

/He has to be. He's Mickey./

Riku heard a faint noise inside his head that he guessed was a less-than-amused snort from his alter ego. Diz rose from his chair and pulled Namine out of the room, heading for the pod room. Riku lingered for a moment, until he glanced up at the screens and saw that Roxas was battling with Axel in the data town.

He held two keyblades now, the oblivion in one hand and the oathkeeper in the other. It still surprised Riku to see him do this. If Sora and he himself were the true keyblade masters, and neither of them could duel wield, how was it that this Nobody seemed to do it naturally?

The pyrokinetic eventually fell under Roxas's onslaught, and Riku saw on the screens that he was heading towards the light beam. He was about to turn and leave when he saw a shot from the lobby of the mansion in the digital Twilight Town. Mickey was surrounded by assassins, and was being beaten back and forth between them.

--Told you so.—

/Shut up./

Riku pressed his back flat against the wall and summoned the darkness into himself. He faded gently into the walls, the same way that Shadow had once fazed through solid objects. Not sparing his observer a moment to stroll down memory lane, Roxas came flying out of the beam of light.

The blond's eyes swept through the room, and Riku held his breath, worrying that the Nobody's powers over the darkness had grown enough that he would be able to sense him. But the blond was so distracted by the computer, and the screens that fed into the Twilight Town he had been kept prisoner in.

Screaming in frustration he summoned the kingdom key and destroyed the console. Riku just knew that Diz was going to somehow pin the blame on him for that.

As the boy ran out of the room, heading for Sora's pod, Riku stepped towards the beam of light. Then he looked down the hall.

Sora's going to awaken. Namine's going to finish it now.

/Which do I do…/ Riku debated.

Ansem had no opinion, or at least decided not to make it known.

Riku turned, looking around the room as if it held the answer he was seeking. His eyes met his shattered reflection in the computer screens, and reached out and touched the beam of light.

/Not yet. I can't do it yet./

As he arrived in the digital Twilight Town, Riku knew that Sora had been awoken. He could feel it. Tugging at the back of his mind. An annoying itch he couldn't scratch.

Ignoring the buzzing presence of his fellow keyblade master, Riku wondered briefly what had happened to Roxas.

--You really had grown fond of that blond.--

Riku ignored the voice in his head, as he so often did, and drew his soul eater, briefly thankful for the increased size of his body, and the strength in the muscles that did not belong to him.

/He was just a stand in./

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:::Hides::: Okay, yeah, that was long. And the chapter was….not so long. College sucks, people. I had my major writing requirement this semester.

So, question for anyone who reads this!!!!

Would you guys mind if I switch to first person POV? I find it more fun to write, easier and faster to write in, and halfway through this chapter I started slipping into it. So yeah, leave a comment, lemme know what you guys think.


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